Catch and Release
by jaa162
Summary: Anna and Griffin are back! But while navigating the rocky rollercoaster of love, they encouter family tension, sexual tension, an all-out Paladin-Jumper war, betrayals, marriage, and...a baby? Follow-up to Catch Me When I Fall.
1. Griffin O'Connor: Boyfriend?

**AN: So welcome to the midquel to **_**Catch Me When I Fall**_**, **_**Catch and Release**_**! This short fic takes place after Anna was rescued from the Paladins and reunited with Griffin, and before the epilogue of chapter 9. I became inspired to write for them again as I realized that a LOT of stuff had happened in that 10-year time frame. **

**So yeah, there will some skipping around as I will only highlight the important stuff. This chapter is mainly just Anna and Griffin trying to come to terms with their blossoming relationship. I hope Griffin isn't too OOC as I tried to keep him in character as much as I could, but hey, love changes even anti-social characters like Griffin. Enjoy!**

**Plus, the theme song for this story is Taylor Swift's "Safe and Sound". I know it's for the Hunger Games movie (which I am totally psyched for, who isn't?) but considering all that's ahead, it fits.**

Anna had stayed with Griffin in the cabin (or _lair_, as he liked to call it) for the entire weekend after she was rescued. Nothing really happened between them, just some halo here, a bad romantic comedy and pizza or takeout there, and a **LOT** of making out.

Anna also put some of her medical skills to use by tending to Griffin's injuries. And, yes, Anna tried to consider that it wasn't awkward when Griffin had to sit on the loveseat shirtless while she cleaned his wounds. Yes, not awkward at all….

However, Anna knew that she had to return to New York, and Griffin wasn't too happy about it.

"Don't they have the thing where you can take classes online and whatnot?" Griffin asked.

Anna sighed, "Griffin, I'm studying to be a doctor. I have to go to school. What is up with you?"

"Sorry to be a spoilsport, but I just don't want you to get hurt, like last time. Paladins are fast, and when you chop off one head, two more grow back."

Anna raised her eyebrows. This was the first time Griffin ever admitted to actually caring about her. At least verbally. It was…very touching to say the least.

Smirking, Anna replied, "Oh, does the infamous, anti-social Griffin O'Connor actually care for my well-being?" Anna fluttered her eyelids and put her hand to her heart in a teasing manner.

Griffin snorted, "Okay, Anna, nobody likes a smart-ass."

Anna chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. "Well, it seems that we are at an impasse."

"A what?"

"An impasse. A standstill. I need to go back to school, and yet you don't want me to because you don't want the Paladins to find me again. I understand, but I can I ask you something?"

Griffin shrugged. It's not liked he wanted or could keep her from doing what she wanted, but he just wanted her safe. In many ways, she brought back a part of his humanity that he thought he had lost years ago when his family died, and he didn't want to lose that. Not again.

When she left him the first time, he realized how lonely he actually was, and how much he missed the sound of her voice, her light blue eyes that could see right through him, the irresistible taste of her tongue….

"Griffin! Are you even listening to me?" Anna broke through his thoughts.

"What did you say?"

"I wanted to ask you to come back with me. To New York. That way I could go to school, and you could be there, and we could be…you know…together…"

Anna bit her lip in hesitation. Did she actually think that she and Griffin were a couple now? I mean, he sort of acted like her boyfriend, in his own Griffin way of course, and she really liked him.

But she also knew it was dangerous to date a jumper, seeing as both she and Millie had been captured by Paladins due to their connection to David and Griffin. Plus, Griffin had said it himself that relatives and partners of Jumpers didn't live very long anyways.

She knew that he was considering all of this, so she didn't even stay to hear his answer. Anna looked away from Griffin, whose mind was lost deep in thought, grabbed the remote off of the kitchen counter, and jumped back to her apartment in New York.

Griffin didn't even notice that she had even left until he opened his mouth.

Xxx

_What was she thinking? Considering a relationship with him?_ "_He probably would just stay on long enough to get into my pants and then leave anyways"_, Anna mumbled to herself.

She had left Griffin's place about 10 minutes ago, and was now plopped down on the couch, eating ice cream and watching _Never Been Kissed_.

Anna sighed, and then she heard a noise. Then, her heart almost leapt out of her chest when she heard him say, "Really, Anna? You're sitting on the couch, eating ice cream and watching a movie? So typical.

Anna smiled and turned her head. Griffin had his arms crossed, and was leaning on the doorframe that led to the den, a smirk on his face.

Then, her recent memories of him flooded back to her, and she frowned. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want to be here."

Griffin scowled and shook his head. "No, Anna, don't go putting words in my mouth_. I_ never said that. I was just thinking about the risk involved if _we_ got involved. Plus, I'm not a romantic kind of guy. I kill people, _remember_?"

Anna nodded and stared at the tv. Then, she looked back at him, hopeful. "So did you come back because you're staying?"

"What I'm saying is that it will be hard for us to be, you know, a normal couple. We can't go out in public a lot, and I can't be around you all the time. The last girl I was with ended up losing her family because of me, and then, she broke up with me. But I considered that it was for the best. But if David can have his girl, then, I guess I can have you."

Griffin had never told anyone about his ex, E.V., the only girl he had ever really been with. He thought he loved her, but of course, Paladins came and ruined that for him. So he shut himself out from the world and fought back; for his family, for E.V., for himself, and now for Anna.

He promised himself a long time ago that he wouldn't forgive himself if something happened to her because of him. But of course, Anna was too smart to care. Plus, she had proven on numerous occasions that she could handle herself quite well.

Anna stood up from the couch, walked over to him, and kissed him lightly on the lips. She knew he wanted more, but she wouldn't give him satisfaction, _not yet_. Then, she took his hand and led him to the couch.

When he sat down, Anna shifted herself into his lap and rested her head on his chest. Griffin looked down at her and smiled. _Huh, he seemed to be doing a lot of that lately._

Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. _Oh, god, what am I going to tell David?_

**AN: The part about E.V. is from the book, **_**Jumper: Griffin's**__**Story**_**, and I decided to use it. She was a girl that Griffin dated when he was a teenager. I hope you guys like Chapter One, and please review!**

**Next Chapter: The Christmas Special **


	2. The Spy

**AN: Sorry that it took me so long to update. I did write the Christmas Special that I said that I was going to publish, but I'm saving it for this holiday season since it would make more sense and I want to get straight to the action. I'm also taking college algebra now and a writing class so homework has been taking up most of my time lately. Enjoy!**

"Oh, I'm sorry, what was your name again?" Anna asked her new lab partner.

"Linda," a pretty girl with long, bright red hair answered back.

"I'm Anna. Nice to meet you."

"You too. Hey, do you know how to work this?" Linda asked as she fiddled with the burner.

"Um, let me see…" Anna put on her lab coat, goggles, and took over. Anna realized what was wrong.

"It's broken. We need another one."

When Linda came back with a new one, they became immersed in their work.

Two years had passed, and Anna was getting closer to completing her bachelor's degree. Her medical education was also earning her brownie points with Griffin, since every time he came back from fighting Paladins; he was usually scarred and bruised. Anna was used to it though; since he was mainly doing it to protect her, but it seemed that the Paladins were growing stronger by the minute.

"So, you want to become a doctor?" Linda asked, snapping Anna out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, since I like helping people, I figured that I would be a doctor. My boyfriend just hates that it's taking so long."

"So he hates it?"

"No, not really. He just hates that he can't be around me all the time."

"Figures, since he's a…" Linda mumbled.

Anna lifted up her head. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Oh, nothing." Linda shot her a fake smile and Anna went back to her work.

Later, when class ended, Anna waved goodbye and squealed with joy when Griffin greeted her outside the building.

Linda walked past the couple smirking. Later, the young woman pulled out her cell phone and said, "Sir, I have located the target and the girl. Shall I proceed with the mission?"

"_No, Agent Tatum, you will not. He will be expecting the girl to be in danger, and we will fail yet again. We have to be patient. Do not proceed until I give the command, understood?"_

Linda protested, "But sir, we have been waiting for this opportunity for months. They are out in the open. Once this semester ends, he will take her back into hiding again, we both know it. Besides, I'm ready sir."

"_I know that, but he will be expecting it. Besides, I have orders from upstairs; the girl is not to be harmed. We will not jeopardize this mission because you do not like sitting still for a while. Keep your cover, earn the girl's trust, and keep me updated on their movements, understood?"_

"Yes, sir."


	3. Welcome to the War

**AN: I was supposed to be working on an essay for my class last night, but I couldn't stop writing this. Aren't you lucky?**

"Griffin, what are we doing here? I mean, this place is not your style," David said as they walked around a dusty living room in an abandoned house.

The place looked like it hadn't been touched in years, since dust was everywhere and all of the windows were boarded up. There were also suspicious holes in the walls and furnitur was overturned. David swore that he saw a dark spot, possibly blood, on the hardwood floor.

Griffin didn't want to bring David here, to his childhood home, the last place he had been with parents before they were killed. Even though he and David weren't at odds anymore, it was still weird to have him here.

Griffin had even brought Anna here once, even though it pained him to do so, but she insisted. She even made him take her to his parents' graves.

He thought that was the strangest thing, but she wanted to know more about his past; the good parts of his childhood and how he became to be like the person he was. He was even more surprised when she started crying when he told her the story of the fateful day of his parents' deaths, as if it happened to her,too.

Since then, he couldn't look at her the same way. This unfamiliar warmth had spread through his heart, and he didn't want it to go away, even if it could or he wanted it too.

_He loved her_. Simple as that.

However, it was just so complicated. Jumpers were dying more and more, and the Paladins were growing and getting stronger. He couldn't fight them all by himself, and so he decided to do the unthinkable.

He was going to ask Anna to marry him. After he got David's permission of course. Which was why he was going through old dressers and clothes in his parents' room upstairs.

Griffin huffed in annoyance when he had ransacked the whole room. He knew that David was getting anxious about leaving their girlfriends unprotected for so long, and he was starting to get anxious himself.

"Where the bloody hell is that ring!" Griffin shouted angrily.

"You mean, this ring?" David asked from the doorway. Griffin turned around and David pulled a small velvet ring box out of his pocket.

Griffin nodded. When he went to reach for it, however, David pulled his hand back teasingly.

"So, just what were you planning to do with it, Griffin?" David smirked.

Griffin groaned. Then, he took a deep breath and looked the other Jumper straight in the eye. "I was planning on proposing to your sister."

David's smirk faded and his mouth fell open slightly. "Y-You want to marry Anna? Do you think that's safe?"

"David, I do everything I can to make sure that she's safe. Look around, my parents are dead because they risked their lives trying to do the same thing. They had each other, but they left me alone. Anna understands me more than anyone else, and she doesn't judge me or critizes me. _I'm going to marry her, David_. And, as much as it pains me to say this, I would like to have your blessing or whatever to do so."

If Griffin had said this 3 years ago, David would've been sure that he was joking. But since so much had changed, David knew he was serious about this. Griffin had only been serious about two things: getting his revenge on Roland, and Anna.

David sighed. They did seem happy together, after all. Plus, he was thinking about asking Millie to marry him, too. They already acted as if they were married, might as well make it official.

"Fine. You have my blessing, Griffin O'Connor. Just make sure to take care of her, okay? She's the only sister I have."

Griffin took the ring from David and said, "I promise…_Brother_."

Xxx

When they returned to David's new place in Miami, they were surprised to find Anna already there. With a young teenage boy with her.

"Anna, who is he? Where's Millie?" David asked.

Millie walked into the room. "I'm here. We're fine."

Anna stood up from the couch and motioned to the boy. "This is Cole Benson. He's the Jumper I saved two years ago when I was captured." Cole waved at the men nervously.

The boy was young about 15 or 16, and quite small for his age. He had short, blond hair and sharp brown eyes that seemed very adult and mature. His clothes were dirted and ripped in several places, and bandages covered his right arm and left leg.

Griffin tightened his fists and clentched his jaw. Because of this boy acting irresponsibly, he almost lost Anna to the enemy. He couldn't understand sometimes how she could be so trusting and warm to people that threatened her life…like…like…him, for instance.

Anna motioned for Cole to stand up. "S-Sorry, i-its j-just an h-honor t-to m-meet y-you," Cole stuttered.

Griffin huffed, and David smiled a warm smile. Anna said, "Tell them why you're here."

"Oh, right. As you know, Paladins have been creating new technology to kill and track Jumpers. My father, brother, and I have managed to steal some of it, as well as free those who have been tortured and captured. We run what we call the Underground Resistance."

"Is this a joke?" Griffin blurted out. Anna glared at him and nudged Cole to continue.

"N-No sir. We take our job seriously, and we know that this war has been going on for centuries. But my dad thinks that it is about to reach its' climax. We have been watching their movements and uncovered some information."

"Like what?" Millie asked.

"Well, that the Paladins have a new leader, and he's ruthless, as well as mysterious. Well as Roland made his presence known, this guy remains in the shadows. He has been sending out spies for recon, rather than search parties and hunters like before. He's trying to gain information about us, trying to find our weaknesses."

"Show them the file, Cole," Anna mumbled taking Griffin's hand.

Cole nodded and pulled out a manila folder out of a battered laptop bag. He opened it and handed it to David.

Millie gasped when she pulled out a surveillance photo of her and Anna picking up groceries. Griffin clenched his jaw once more when more photos surfaced of Anna outside of class, David giving Millie a hug outside of their apartment, and Griffin walking Anna to her class.

"Where did you get these?" Griffin asked as he eyed one of the photos.

"A Paladin who we convinced to switch sides. He gave us access to as much information as he could before they blocked us out of their database. And, there's a LOT more of those."

"So they've been stalking us for the past two years?" David mused.

"Of course they have. I knew that it wasn't over. I told you that from the start. They're just getting better at this. I knew that it was only going to get worse," Griffin blurted out.

"So what do we do now? It's not like we can run, since they're following us everywhere we go," Millie commented.

"Then, we have to fight. Right, Griffin?" Anna looked at him.

"I've been fighting my whole life. No reason to stop now," said Griffin.

"But you don't have to do it alone. You have us, and if we join the U.R., then we could have an army, like the Paladins, but our _own _army. If we fight this together, then maybe it will finally be over. We can have a normal life. No more fear, no more running."

"But Anna-"Griffin started to protest, but Anna shook her head.

"Griffin, I've watched you fight till the death. I've watched you come home with bloody lips, broken ribs, and a black eye. Well, the next time, you might NOT come home, and then what? They'll just get more Paladins, and another innocent person and their loved ones will become their new target. We have to end this, while we can. I want to , don't you?"

It was quiet for a long time. Then, David spoke up, "Anna's right. We'll join."

Anna grinned and then turned back to Griffin. "Griff?"

Griffin looked into her eyes and sighed. "Fine, I'm in, too. But, you have to promise that if we do this, the girls have to remain safe, and no one is allowed to boss me around. I make my own rules. Deal?"

Cole grinned and shook David's and Griffin's hands. Suddenly, there was a loud crash from one of the back rooms. Millie and Anna screamed, and Griffin knew it was time for action.

**AN: You know what to do, REVIEW!**


	4. Almost

Anna and Millie moaned with pain when their backs hit the hard ground. They looked around and noticed that they were in a high-class neighborhood. Beautiful mansions surrounded them, but most of them were foreclosed.

The mansion in front of them was the biggest, and its large backyard extended into the woods. Millie helped Cole and Anna stand up on the pavement, and Cole buzzed the buzzer on the large gate that surrounded the expansive property.

"This is my grandparents' house, but they live in England now. We use this place and the foreclosed home over there as our headquarters and housing for refugees." Cole motioned to another mansion right next door to this one.

It was a little smaller than Cole's house, and it also had a large fence surrounding it. All the curtains were drawn on the windows to give the appearance that it was abandoned. Suddenly, the gate began to open slightly, and Cole motioned for us to walk quickly through it.

"Oh,"Millie said and then she looked at me with worried eyes. She was scared that the boys wouldn't make it back.

When the apartment was attacked, Griffin ordered Cole to take them somewhere safe. Cole jumped them out of the apartment, and then to several random places as Anna reminded him, until they ended up here.

"Cole, has that been happening a lot lately?" Anna asked as she and Millie followed him up the driveway.

"No, not really. But you know that Griffin and David are, like, enemy numbers 1 and 2 to the Paladins. I guess my being there made it much worse; I'm sorry. But as soon as we get inside, I'll let the others know, and we'll go back for them."

When we got to the front door, Cole knocked on the door in a strange pattern, and the person on the other side did as well. Then, a woman who looked to be in her early 50s opened the door and greeted them warmly.

"Hello, friends! We are happy to see that you have made it safely. Please come inside." The woman looked a lot like Cole but she has brown hair and was wearing a long maxi dress that did nothing to hide her ample cleavage.

Millie and Anna exchanged glances but went inside nevertheless. A warm aroma hit their nostrils instantly and there were many young people, barely older than themselves, bustling in out of the hallway.

"As my son has told you, this is the Underground Resistance. My husband and eldest son were running it…until they were captured a few days ago. Now, I am trying my best to hold it together with Cole's help. My eldest daughter, Naomi, also helps out as well. Oh, and I am Beatrice Benson, the lady of the house."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Benson," Millie said as they followed the older woman upstairs.

Mrs. Benson explained that they had recently started the U.R. 3 months ago, and had about 115 recruits from ages 11-28. More than half of them lived here and in the house next door, but some had taken residence at a safe house in northern Canada.

"So how do you able to keep this place up and not be discovered?" Anna asked as Mrs. Benson went on with the tour.

"Oh, well, Joe and his team do that. Joe is a former Paladin, and we took him in when they betrayed him. He has activated some cloaking device into our computers so that we can remain under the radar. That's how we are still able to have food and first aid supplies delivered to the houses. Oh, and here he is now," Mrs. Benson led the girls into a small room with computers and wires everywhere.

A tall man with tanned skin and thin mustache and greasy black hair and glasses waved at her. Mrs. Benson greeted him with a kiss on each cheek.

"Joe, this is…"

"Anna. Anna Rice, and this is Millie Harris," Anna spoke up.

Joe gasped, "David Rice isn't your brother, is he?"

Xxx

It seemed that in this world, Griffin and David were legends and practically celebrities. And if you were dating them or one of them was your brother that made you a legend, too.

A few hours ago, Cole had gathered up a small group to go and bring the boys back. Millie and Anna were in the kitchen, poking their forks at their food while they waited for any news.

Naomi was the same age as Millie, and had long brown hair like her mom, but she had more angular features and green eyes. She was studying to be a chef, Anna learned, but decided to help out her family in the meantime.

Anna stood up and began clearing out some of the dirty dishes that were piling in the sink. "You don't have to that, you know. That was Kyle's job."

"Who's Kyle?" Anna asked as she continued to scrub a smelly pot.

"My brother. The one, who was…captured," Naomi said quietly as she poured orange juice for one of the kids.

"I'm sorry. Trust me, I know how it feels."

Naomi smiled a little, and then there was some rummaging upstairs. "What is going on up there?" Anna asked.

Cole appeared in the doorway, beaming. He had a few scratches on his face, but he was in one piece. "We found them. Griffin and David. It was a tough fight, but we got them. They even helped us rescue Dad and Kyle!"

Millie jumped out of her chair and raced upstairs, Anna, Naomi, and Cole trailing behind her. Luckily, there were makeshift signs all along the hallways, so it wasn't hard to find the 'hospital'.

The room was one of the biggest in the house and almost looked like an actual hospital. There were five hospital beds, and at the moment, four of them were occupied.

All of the men had IVs hooked into their arms, and they were all battered, bruised, and bleeding. But alive and well.

Millie and Anna threw themselves onto David's bed and hugged him until he started groaning from the pain. Griffin cleared his throat the best that he could and Anna bounced from David's bed to his, placing kisses all over his face.

"I was so worried about you!" Anna cried out between kisses.

Griffin laughed, "If this is how you're going to react when we get ambushed by Paladins, then maybe I should get captured more often."

Anna stopped kissing him and gave him a death glare that sent shivers down his spine. He wasn't afraid of Paladins, or even death, but when Anna glared at him like that, he feared for his life a little.

"I was joking, Anna," Griffin said as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't joke about that. You could've been killed! Then what was I supposed to do!"

"Anna, calm down."

"NO! I WON'T calm down, Griffin! You had me sitting up here worried sick about the both of you. Don't you get it? I LOVE YOU! I DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO YOU, DUMBASS!"

Everyone was quiet as Anna stalked off, leaving Griffin staring back at her in shock and amusement. She had never, ever yelled at him before. This time was different, though, since she had said the L word out loud. Even Griffin hadn't said it yet. It had just never come up; it was more of an implied thing.

Griffin turned to look at David and Millie. Millie was looking at him with a sympathetic look on her face, while David was trying not to laugh.

Griffin snorted, "Oh, shut up."

Xxx

Anna barely spoke to Griffin while he recovered. It bothered him that she was so mad at him. Fortunately, in the tussle with the Paladins, he had managed to hang onto the ring. He took it out of his pocket and stared at it for a long time.

Later on, when he could walk again without trouble, he found Anna in an empty bedroom upstairs. She was lying on the bed, facing the ceiling with her eyes closed.

Griffin just stood in the doorway and stared at her. It reminded him of the day they met. Only now, Anna's hair was much longer and her eyes were more adult and mature. Griffin's hair was bushier and his muscles and stomach were much more toned from fighting Paladins nonstop.

Griffin wrapped his hand around the velvet box in his pocket, suddenly doubting himself. He didn't deserve her, and she didn't deserve this life. Maybe it just wasn't a good time to…

"Griffin? What are you doing here?" Anna asked as she sat up on the bed.

"I came to see you." Griffin suddenly felt uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Well, I'm okay. How are you?" Anna smiled lightly and patted the space beside her on the bed.

Griffin smiled back and closed the door behind him. "I feel a lot better. Actually, I came here to-"

"Griffin, stop. I wanna apologize first. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that in front of everyone. You were doing what you've always done. I always told you that I wouldn't get mad at you for that. But this time, I did. I'm so sorry."

Then, Anna leaned over and placed her hand on top of his. Griffin examined her for a moment, before he leaned in and kissed her, sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. Anna responded with enthusiasm, her hands trailing down his back as she deepened the kiss.

Griffin began kissing down her neck, nibbling lightly and causing Anna to tilt her head back and gasp in pleasure. He laughed, his breath hot against her skin, and she shifted herself on top of him, so that each of her legs was on each side of his waist, pressing herself closer to him. She ran her hands under his shirt, her fingers tracing the muscles of his chest. Griffin groaned and kissed across her collarbone.

Griffin's hands crept under her shirt, sliding past her stomach. He squeezed her breasts through the fabric of her bra, and Anna couldn't contain the moan of pleasure that escaped her. She fisted her hands in his hair, and Griffin's hands slid down her body to hook his fingers in the waistband of her denim shorts.

Anna broke apart from him and moved his hands away. "Griffin, I think we should stop this," Anna panted.

"Why? I thought that…"

"I know. It's not like I don't want to, it's just not the right time for that right now. I…I…wanna wait. Until I'm ready. Can you do that for me?" Anna asked sweetly.

Griffin sighed and nodded, obviously disappointed.

**AN: Yep, 3 chapters in one day, and I wrote them all last night. I'm on a roll. For my lovely reviewers, what do think will happen next? Will Griffin propose? Will the Paladins find them before he does? Will David propose to Millie instead? You know what to do, REVIEW!**


	5. The Proposal

Over the next several days, Anna, Millie, Griffin, and David made the U.R. their home for the time being. Even though he wasn't used to working with others, Anna encouraged Griffin to train the new recruits on how to better defend themselves.

David and Kyle helped him, while Anna and Millie helped Naomi in the kitchen. Many of the younger kids took a shining to Anna and Millie, especially the youngest Benson sibling, Ruby. At nine years old, Ruby was the only female jumper of her family, but being so young, she was sort of the outcast of the group. Anna would ask Ruby to help out in the kitchen so that she would feel useful in a way.

It saddened her, though, that some of these kids weren't even in puberty yet, and they were being captured, tortured, or killed even. Some of them had to leave their families behind, like Millie did, for them to be safe. Now, they were being hunted like animals just because they were different, and learning the art of war.

It wasn't right.

It wasn't right at all.

Xxx

One night, Millie, Anna, Naomi, Ruby, Mrs. Benson, and another female jumper named Kida were having a girls' night on the back porch, while everyone else was getting ready for bed or heading to sleep at the safe house.

"I think David's gonna propose," Millie blurted out suddenly. Everyone stared at her.

"You think so?"Kida asked.

Millie nodded. "I've known him my whole life, and we've been together for a couple of years now. I think its time."

"That would be nice. We need to have a something happy in the midst of all this chaos," Mrs. Benson blurted out.

"I agree. And, you two have my blessing," said Anna.

"Thanks. What about you and Griffin, though?"

Anna looked at Millie. "What about me and Griffin?"

"Do you think he wants to get married anytime soon?" Millie asked.

Anna shrugged. "Um, Griffin's not the marrying type. I'm surprised that we've lasted as long as we have."

"She's right. When I first saw you two together, I couldn't believe it either. You two are, like, total opposites," Kida commented.

"So, that doesn't mean anything. In fact, opposites help to balance each other out. My mother was the nicest woman in the world, and my father…not so much. However, when they were together, it was beautiful. She softened him up, and he toughened her up. It worked. I think Anna and Griffin might be the same way."

All of the women nodded with approval.

Xxx

When Griffin walked into the bedroom, fresh from his shower, he noticed Anna shuffling through her Kindle on the bed. "What are you doing?" he asked as he placed his stuff back into a duffel bag.

"Reading L.J. Smith quotes. Listen to this one: "_I fell in love with you. I didn't do it on purpose._" Ironic, isn't it?"

Griffin climbed into the bed next to her, and asked, "What do you mean by that?" He wasn't really interested, but he was curious as to what she meant by her statement.

"Well, look at us. When we met, we couldn't stand each other. Now look at us two years later. Notice how much has changed?"

Griffin nodded and Anna blurted out another quote, "_It means that there's only one love for everyone who exists. And when you meet that love, you know them. You know you were meant to be together, and nothing can keep you apart._"

Anna sighed softly, hoping that Griffin wouldn't notice, but he did. He knew all of her tells. He knew that she was wondering if they were going to last, if Griffin really loved her as she hoped he did. Now he was going to prove it, and killing Paladins was nothing compared to this.

"Anna, I want to ask you something. Before you say anything, let me ask this question first. Do you…do you love me?"

Anna blinked at him. Griffin looked so nervous and uncomfortable that it was a real shock to her. Not to mention what just came out of his mouth was even more out of character for him.

"If you don't remember, I blurted it out to everyone in a heated rage a few weeks ago. So, yes, I do love you. Griffin, what is going on?"

Griffin took her hands in his and then reached into his pants' pocket. He pulled out a small pouch, opened it, and placed the ring in her right palm. Anna gasped, and looked up at his face in shock.

Griffin blurted out, "Willyoumarryme?" all in one breath, and for the first time in her life, Anna was speechless.

There was a long pause before Anna remembered to breath, and whispered, "Yes."

"Huh?"

Anna grinned and slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Then,she leaned over and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

Griffin breathed, "So, is that supposed to be a yes or something?"

Anna rolled her eyes and kissed him again.


	6. Comes and Goes

After news of Anna's and Griffin's engagement got out, everyone was surprised, since David was originally the one expected to pop the question.

However, David had been consumed with finding his birth mother, and it was turning out to be a lot harder than he thought. She had been under the radar for many years, and constantly moved around and changed her name. Anna helped out occasionally with the search, but became too consumed in planning the wedding.

Finally, Joe had located a purchase from a grocery store in Mary Rice's new alias and was able to find her new address. David thanked Joe and went off to find his sister.

Xxx

"Thank you guys for helping me with this. I didn't know that wedding planning would be so hard," Anna said as she looked at some pictures of particular (and secluded) venues in the living room.

"No problem, dearie. You're part of the family now, and we help our family," Mrs. Benson replied as she shuffled through a magazine and took notes. Mrs. Benson, Naomi, and Millie were the wedding planners, but Anna had to approve of everything first hand.

"I know, but if I look at another wedding magazine, I think I'm gonna scream," Anna sighed. Millie and Naomi laughed from their place by the desk. They were looking at wedding videos on Youtube, as well as a few dresses.

Suddenly, there was some rumbling upstairs and voices yelling and shouting. The women raced upstairs to find the hospital in utter chaos.

Several people were injured, and blood was spilling out of their mouths and bodies. The scene was quite gruesome. Anna clasped a hand over her mouth and Griffin appeared and held her tight to him.

"What happened?" Mrs. Benson asked.

"We were trying to rescue a girl, but she turned out to be working for the Paladins. She attacked us, and they came soon afterwards. I've never seen anything like this, mom," Kyle explaines as Naomi wrapped a bandage around a deep gash in his arm.

"Are you hurt?" Anna asked her fiancé.

Griffin shook his head. Mr. Benson emerged and said, "We need to reconvene and come up with a new strategy. If the Paladins are now using Jumpers to hunt their own kind, then we won't win this war."

Kyle spoke up, "Dad's right. The Paladins _are_ getting stronger. Using Jumpers to hunt other Jumpers is probably the most brilliant idea that they've had so far. Now things are gonna get ten times worse."

"Maybe we should leave. I mean, we're the ones they want the most, and we're just putting you guys in danger," Anna suggested.

"Do you think that will stop them? No, they will come at us head-on because half of the Jumpers here are underage and untrained. We need you guys, and you need us," Mr. Benson finalized.

Anna nodded and then, David burst into the room. His eyes were filled with excitement and fear, and he grabbed Anna's arm to pull her outside into the hall.

"Anna, I found her. I found our birth mother!" David whispered.

"What? Are you sure this is a good time to go and look for her?"

"I know what she is, Anna. I figured it out a long time ago, with Griffin's help. I just want to see her one last time, maybe gets some answers; like 'why did you leave us?' You can't say that you haven't thought about it, too."

Anna opened her mouth, and then shut up quickly when she realized that David was right. But she still didn't think it was a good time to confront their Paladin mother in the middle of a Jumper-Paladin war.

Anna sighed, "Fine, David. I'll go with you. I just hope you know what you're getting us into."

Xxx

With Anna, David, and Millie gone on a 'top-secret mission', Griffin didn't know what to do with himself. Mr. Benson had given the U.R. a few days off from training so that everyone could recover and rest up, while he, Kyle, and Griffin made plans on how to fight off the Paladins now.

It was a lot harder now that the Paladins had taken things to another level, and Griffin was worried that he wouldn't be able to keep Anna safe or himself alive for very long. The Paladins meant business now, and soon, everyone would have to decide which side they were fighting for: themselves, or each other.

While Griffin was doing some research on a laptop in his room, Cole knocked on the door and let himself in. Surprisingly, Griffin had found himself growing attached to the kid, as he reminded Griffin of himself when he first started out on his own; scared, smart, brave, and inexperienced in this world.

"What do you want, kid?" Griffin asked, never looking away from his laptop.

Cole sighed, and rubbed his arm, nervously. "Um, I wanted to ask you if you could teach me how to fight."

"Kid, haven't I been doing that already? You've been doing pretty good for a amateur."

"Thanks, I guess. But I wanna learn how to fight like you do; no remorse, just simple and brutal. To the point. I need this."

Griffin spun around in his chair and stared at the kid for a long time. Cole's knees were shaking a little, but his face was hard and his eyes were determined.

Griffin shut down his laptop, and motioned for Cole to follow him to the gym in the basement.

Xxx

When Anna, David, and Millie returned, they didn't speak and just retreated to their rooms. Anna couldn't believe that her mother was a Paladin now, and a high-ranking one at that. She even found out that she had a half-sister, who was probably a few years younger than her.

Anna felt so betrayed and lost that she didn't even know what to think or feel about her mother now. She sliently laughed at the thought that Mrs. Benson, a woman she had only know for a few weeks, had been more of a mother to her than the one that gave birth to her. She knew that David was probably thinking the same.

All of these new emotions just welled up inside her, and she clutched her pillow and cried. She wished Griffin was by her side, so he could hold her and make everything better like he always did. _Where was he anyway?_

Suddenly, Naomi swung open the door and pulled Anna up to her feet. Then, she gave Anna a long hug and silently sobbed onto her shoulder. "What happened? What's going on?" Anna asked confused.

"It's Griffin and Cole. They're….they're…gone," Naomi choked out between sobs.

Anna pulled back and looked at the girl. "What do you mean, 'they're gone'?"

Naomi sobbed some more, but then she cried out, "They've been captured."

**AN:Please Review!**


	7. Misery

**AN: So sorry that I haven't updated this in the past few months. I kinda lost my inspiration for writing it, and I was swamped with college. Then, I moved and started writing other stories, so this one got put to the side. But, now I'm back and plan to finish this story to the end. So, here's Chapter 7, and it's kinda sad. **

**Chapter 7**-Misery

Anna barely left the room for the next week. Even though search parties were being conducted, Anna still felt hopeless. She knew that her Griffin was a fighter, but the Paladins could've killed him on the spot now that they had him.

David and Millie never left Anna's side, and both tried desperately to bring her out of her depression. She was grateful for that, but she wouldn't feel whole again until she was reunited with her fiancé.

Little Ruby was the only one who actually made her smile, but the little girl had that effect on everyone. Ruby would make Anna color pictures with her and they would watch Disney movies together. Even though it helped make her slightly happy, it only made the idea of marrying a Jumper more impossible. As long as Paladins still existed, Jumpers would be hunted till the ends of the earth. She and Griffin could never have kids, since it was very likely that their children would be Jumpers, too. It was a sad fact that Anna had to live with.

Xxx

Griffin had just about reached his limit. His whole body was sore, bleeding, and broken. The Paladins had tortured him, beaten him, belittled him, and more, but Griffin fought them at every turn. He wouldn't die without a fight. _He was born a Jumper, and he would die one._

The Paladins that had captured them were nothing but cronies, workers following orders. _But who was leading them? Why_ _wasn't he here?_ It stumped Griffin to no end. In the past, Roland and Roger appeared once they had gained what they wanted or did the hunting themselves. This new guy was steering clear of this place. _Why? Was he afraid of what Griffin was capable of?_

Maybe he wasn't their target for now, Griffin thought. During his torture sessions, he was asked time and time again of the whereabouts of the U.R. hideout, but Griffin would spit in their faces or kick them in their groins. He would never tell. Because in the end, even if he died, he would protect Anna no matter what.

He felt sorry for Cole, though, as he had never experienced such pain and misery in all of his life. Whenever they were done with Cole, they would throw the kid's broken body into Griffin's cell as if to say, "_See what you have done? This kid will pay for your actions and defiance, too."_

Cole would cough up blood and whimper in pain, but he never shed a single tear. This caused Griffin to respect the kid even more. Most inexperienced Jumpers would have cried their eyes out and begged for mercy; anything to relieve the pain and misery, but not this kid. He was trying to prove that he was as tough and strong as Griffin himself.

Griffin used the little strength he had left to help Cole up onto his dirty matress, and ripped the bottom of his bloody t-shirt. Griffin went over to the small sink to wet it, before dabbing it on Cole's forehead like Anna used to do to him when he was bleeding. Cole coughed up more blood and Griffin handed him the rag.

Griffin could almost hear Anna's voice in his ear, murmuring about internal bleeding. Griffin still couldn't believe how the Paladins had managed to outsmart him. He sighed and went back to that day that he and Cole were captured.

"_One advantage of being a Jumper, kid, is that you can be one step ahead of a Paladin. As long as they miss their target, you, you can beat them or escape, depending on the situation," Griffin mumbled to Cole as they made their way down an back alley. _

_Griffin always avoided these places as they were hotspots for Paladins. Younger Jumpers, such as the one they were trying to find, always thought that the darkest, grittest places were the safest, but Paladins almost always found them there. They were just too smart. _

_Cole nodded and continued onward. "The guy said that a group of Paladins had chased him down this alleyway a little over an hour ago. But, there's no one here, and no sign of them either. What is going on?"_

_Griffin glanced around, suddenly feeling vulnerable. They were exposed, away from the public where no one could find them. It vaguely reminded him of when Anna was kidnapped, except now she was safely away from here._

_Then, Griffin thought of another scenario of when the U.R. was attacked, having followed a distressed call from a troubled Jumper. Except she turned out to be working for Paladins. Something didn't feel right. Something was off. Cole continued on, and realization hit Griffin. It was a setup. They were trapped._

_As if on cue, Cole gasped and fell to the ground, unconscious. Griffin quickly grabbed Cole's phone and crushed it, before clutching his bat tightly. He had upgraded to a metal one, and swung behind him when a Jumper dressed in a Paladin uniform appeared behind him. _

_The Jumper hit the ground cold, and Griffin yelled, "Clever, boys, but not clever enough! C'mon, at least make it a challenge for me!"_

_More Paladins appeared, and Griffin fought each and every one of them until a dart entered his neck and his mind fell into darkness._

Griffin awoke to the sound of the loud grunts and his eyes widened at the sight of two Paladin guards on the ground. Cole had the cell door opened and was peering for oncoming Paladins.

Griffin winced as he stood up, he was rested, but he was still sore. "Good job, kid. I didn't think you had it in you," Griffin acknowledged.

Cole shrugged, "Thanks, but I learned from the best. There's no one coming so I think we can try to get out of here."

Griffin smiled, "Sounds good to me."

Xxx

Today, Anna decided that she had been sad long enough. Life goes on, and it was continuing without her. There were people in her life that depended on her, and she needed to show them that she was strong. She could do this. Griffin would want her to.

The first thing that was different was that it was quiet, too quiet. With all of the people buzzing around, the house was never quiet. Then, Anna could hear sobs, and whispers down the hall.

She slowly entered the hospital room and saw a crowd of people holding onto each other and crying onto each other's shoulders. As she made her way through the crowd, she spotted the Bensons sobbing. She stopped when she saw Griffin staring down at Cole, who was lying on a hospital bed. His eyes were open, but he wasn't moving.

Anna gasped. _He was dead!_

"What happened?" Anna asked in a low voice as made her way to the edge of the bed.

"After we managed to make it out, they found us. We were almost free, but Cole couldn't go on. The poor kid was already on his last leg, but he told me to go. I didn't want to leave him, but there was no other way. The kid saved my life, so I went back to get his body," Griffin asked as he tried not to cry. Anna walked over to him and gave him a long hug.

"I'm proud of you. I love you so much," Anna whispered in his ear.

A few days later, there was a brief funeral for Cole, and Kyle and Mr. Benson burned his body. Everyone in the U.R. was given a few ashes and when the wind picked up, they released Cole's ashes into the air.

**AN: Please Review!**


	8. On the Road to the I Do's

**AN: Thanks for the lovely reviews and fav/story alerts! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8**-On Our Way to the I Do's

After Cole's funeral, nothing was ever the same at the hideout. People didn't laugh as much, the kids didn't play as much; it seemed as if the Paladins had sucked the life out of everyone.

Griffin and David agreed to continue training the Jumpers with Kyle and Mr. Benson, but to everyone's displeasure, the training intensified. Even little Ruby started her own training, mostly learning how to jump before being attacked or overpowered.

Anna didn't continue her wedding plans for a while, and no one blamed her. She wanted to do it, to give everyone something to be happy about, but she couldn't. To her, it was as if she was spitting on Cole's memory. Griffin didn't have anything to say on the subject, but Anna suspected that he agreed with her.

One day, Mrs. Benson came up to Anna while she was studying in the living room and dropped several bridal magazines in her lap. Anna huffed, and pushed them onto the floor. She really needed to study for her finals, which were next week. She couldn't fail; it was bad enough that she couldn't go to class without a 10-person security detail.

Mrs. Benson was taken aback by the action, so she decided to use another approach. She sat down on the coffee table and said, "Anna, I know that you feel that you don't deserve to have a wedding, but I think you should go through with it."

Anna looked up from her notes. "Why? Why would I even think about doing that?"

"Because all anybody does around here is cry, fight, or mope. I'm tired of it. These kids need some hope, something to look forward to. You can give them that, and help yourself in the process."

"I-I can't. I can't do that to Cole. It's too soon," Anna mumbled.

Mrs. Benson nodded, "I understand. I miss him, too. After all, he was my son. But we're still here. We have to pick up the pieces and put ourselves back together now. I'm not saying that you have to get married tomorrow, but it would be nice to see the kids smile again."

Mrs. Benson left the room, leaving Anna to her thoughts.

Xxx

That night, Griffin plopped onto the bed, exhausted from today's training session. Several of the teenaged Jumpers nearly beat him to a pulp in the sparring session, and he was sure that one of them might have broken one of his ribs. But it also made him happy that they were getting better. After a while, he wouldn't need to train them anymore.

He winced as he tried to breathe, but the pain was terrible. He couldn't even sigh in relief when Anna entered with an ice back, bandages, and painkillers. He sat up best he could as she started to work on him.

Anna was getting better at this, and had even started helping out in the hospital room. But she hated that she had to attend to Griffin almost every night now. She understood that he didn't want any of the other kids to have Cole's tragic fate, but it also seemed as if he was punishing himself in some way. But she couldn't stop him; it was something that he was going to have to move past on his own.

"Griff, can I ask you something?" Anna asked as she patched up the bandage on his bruised rib.

Griffin sighed, "Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"You've keep saying that, but it is tomorrow. I need to talk to you, now," Anna replied in low voice.

"Fine."

"I think we should move the wedding date to August, no later than September."

Griffin looked at her intently. "Where did all this come from?"

Anna put the medical supplies aside and tried her best to cuddle up to him without touching his side. "I'm tired of being sad, Griff. I'm tired of being scared that we might not ever get married because I'm scared shitless that you might die. I want to get married to you as soon as possible. Plus, it would be nice to give the kids something to look forward to, other than their possible deaths."

Griffin was silent for a while until he looked down at Anna. Her eyes were hopeful, but terrified that he would shoot her down.

He sighed, "I guess I should start looking for a tux sometime soon then."

Anna smiled and kissed him. He let out a tiny whimper of pain as Anna's body leaned onto his. But he figured he would just put up with it for now until the pills kicked in.

Xxx

So, the wedding was back on, and there were only 3-4 months to get everything ready. Griffin and Anna were hesitant on setting an actual date just yet, in case another "Cole situation" occurred again.

However, the U.R. was buzzing with excitement for the upcoming nuptials. Millie, Naomi, and Mrs. Benson had presumed their positions as wedding planners, and were constantly bombarding Anna with questions about cakes, decorations, wedding dresses, guest lists, and the question she dreaded the most: her honeymoon.

To her surprise, David stepped in and told Anna that he would take care of it. Anna worried as to what that might entail, but she and Griffin were in the dark about it. Even Millie was sworn to secrecy.

At the beginning of June, Anna received her bachelor's degree and had registered for medical school in the fall. The kids' training also began to decrease and Anna welcomed it.

By July, Anna and Griffin bought a small apartment outside of New York to get some privacy from all of the chaos at the U.R. To Anna's surprise, David and Millie moved in downstairs 2 weeks later.

Soon, it was a week into August, and Anna smiled as she went in for her second fitting. The form-fitted dress still needed to be nipped in the waist, but overall, it still looked beautiful on her, and she couldn't be happier with her choice.

Finally, Griffin and Anna set a date for September 5, two weeks before Anna started medical school.

A week before the wedding, Anna received a package from her mother.

**AN: I know. Realistically, you can't really set a wedding date, like a month prior. But in this situation, it's understandable. Please Review!**


	9. The Wedding

**AN: So here it is, the wedding! I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9-<strong>The Wedding

Anna stared at the small, white box in her hand that was tied up in a pink bow. Part of her wanted to throw it out of the window, and a part of her was curious as to what it might be. She wondered how her mother had gotten her address, but there hadn't been a Paladin attack in months, so maybe her mother was protecting her as well.

Anna slowly untied the ribbon and opened the box. She gasped as two stunning, turquoise, tear-drop earrings, along with a matching pendant necklace, stared back at her. When she set the top aside, a piece of paper fell onto her jeans.

Anna set the jewelry aside and read the note.

_**Dear Anna,**_

_**I know that it is too late for me to make up for lost time. I've missed out on you becoming the smart, beautiful young woman that I always hoped you would be. I bet it doesn't help the situation since you are engaged to a Jumper, and I am a Paladin. Nevertheless, you are still my daughter, and I want to be a part of your wedding day, even if I can't be there physically. This jewelry has been in our family for generations, and has been passed down from mother to daughter. Today, I pass it onto you, my eldest daughter. I wish you and your new husband well.**_

_**-Your Mother**_

_**P.S. I have temporarily withdrawn my unit from your zip code under strict orders. So, as for now, enjoy your wedding day and honeymoon. **_

Anna re-read the note several times before she burst into tears and discarded it. It was a touching gesture, and very bold of her mother to say to her. This was a time where mothers and daughters usually bonded, but Anna was separated from her mother by estrangement, war, and prejudice.

Plus, she had not spoken to her father since his attack over two years prior, but David called him occasionally. Their father was now in a rehabilitation program, and his new girlfriend was taking him to church every Sunday. Despite these improvements, Anna still didn't want their father to be a part of her wedding, and David dropped the subject after some time.

Anna pulled herself together and put the jewelry away until she made up her mind to wear them or not.

* * *

><p>Anna stretched her arms out in the full bed and reached over to the empty spot next to her. Then, she started to remember that Mrs. Benson forced her to sleep in her old room at the mansion until the day of the wedding two days ago, so that Griffin wouldn't be tempted to run off with Anna and elope. All of the wedding planning stuff was getting to him, since training had been postponed for the past two weeks so the recruits could recover before the wedding. He was very restless, and spent as much time with Anna as he could before she was dragged away because of wedding business.<p>

Mrs. Benson, Millie, and Naomi had gotten the older boys and men to build a deck, and set up a giant tent in the backyard for the reception later on this evening. The ceremony was going to be in the grand ballroom hall, which had been serving as a dining room beforehand.

Anna had no idea what she was in for, but she had no doubt that it would be beautiful and romantic with those three involved. Anna sat up, and murmured to herself, "I'm getting married today."

She had no doubt that Griffin had barely gotten enough sleep as she had. She was nervous, excited, terrified, and happy all at the same time. It was very overwhelming.

She glanced at the clock and sat up quickly. It was about one in the afternoon, and she still needed to get ready. Millie and Ruby burst through the door to greet the young bride-to-be.

"Ready for the big day, Anna?" Millie asked gleeful.

"Yeah, and scared to death to be honest," Anna answered as she hurried into the bathroom to shower.

Afterwards, Ruby and Millie rushed the bride-to-be into Mrs. Benson's bedroom on the second floor. Her bedroom was much bigger than Anna's old one, with a giant canopy bed with red curtains, oriental rugs spread out on the wooden floor, and a large vanity desk and mirror in the corner. Mrs. Benson and Kida were conversing quietly.

Mrs. Benson's hair was pinned back from her face, and her makeup was already applied. She, along with Millie, Naomi, and Kida, wore silk robes that were similar to Anna's.

Anna yawned and Mrs. Benson _tsk_ed and shook her head at the young girl. "Look at your eyes! What did you do? Stay up all night?"

Anna sat down on the cushioned stool in front of the desk. "You could say that. You know, pre-wedding jitters."

Kida glowered. "We only have so much time to make you look jaw-droppingly gorgeous, Anna. You could have taken better care of our raw material."

"I think the bigger problem would be the Paladins taking a cue from Voldermort and ambushing my wedding, rather than me possibly falling asleep during before the 'I do's'."

"Well, in that case, as one of your bridesmaids, I'll throw my bouquet at you if it gets close," Kida joked as she started on Anna's face, making sure to make her face as beautiful and flawless as possible.

A few minutes into it, Anna's stomach growled, and Ruby fetched her a granola bar to snack on in the meantime. Ruby was the flower girl, and wore a purple dress that was a mini-replica of the bridesmaids' dresses. Her hair was curls all around her head, complete with a headband decorated in small purple and white flowers. Anna smiled at the girl and thanked her before she skipped out of the room.

"They're back," Millie suddenly announced, as she entered the room. Mrs. Benson was now working on Anna's hair, braiding and twisting it into a low bun. Kida finished the final touches on Anna's makeup before grinning with pride at her finished masterpiece and brushed past Millie to go get dressed.

Millie looked absolutely beautiful, with her hair styled in an elegant side ponytail and her makeup simple, yet stunning. Her bridesmaids' dress was a long, flowing deep purple number that hung off of her shoulders, and a silver ribbon wrapped around her waist, showing off her petite frame. Anna felt a twinge of insecurity for a bit, but then she let it pass as quickly as it came.

"Oh, good. If you don't mind, make sure that Kyle and Steven finish up with the decorations out back and check to see if everyone is dressed and ready. I won't tolerate any delays. It'll throw the whole ceremony off track, and Griffin and Anna might miss their flight," Mrs. Benson ordered, her full concentration on Anna's hairdo.

"Yes, ma'am. Oh, and Anna? You look beautiful, "Millie commented as she left. Anna smiled.

"Do you happen to know where we're going?" Anna asked in a sugary voice.

"Sorry, but I have no clue. David only mentioned that your flight heads out around ten tonight. He is still keeping it under wraps at the moment." Anna sighed as Mrs. Benson managed to fit the veil onto Anna's head.

Anna let out a breath as she stood up and stretched a bit. She stared at herself in the mirror, and was taken aback by her appearance. Her pale skin had a creamy texture to it, highlighted by her flushed cheeks. Her bright, blue eyes were framed with thick lashes, and her heart-shaped face was framed by soft blond curls. She had never really paid attention to her looks, but today, right now, she felt like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Kida entered the room with the plastic bag that contained Anna's dress, and Anna took a deep breath. It was time.

* * *

><p>Griffin couldn't stop fiddling with his hair; no matter how many times Kida and David had begged him to stop. He just couldn't help himself. It was slicked down and jelled back, and with the expensive tux he wore for added effect, he looked like a completely different person. He looked happy.<p>

But he was also nervous and scared as hell. A small part of him would rather fight 100 Paladins to the death than go through what he was about to do. But he knew that if he did go through with that plan, Anna would kill him, and since she was going to become a doctor soon, bring him back to beat some sense into him.

David and Mr. Benson kept telling him to calm down, but he was too restless and anxious to sit still. He had to keep moving; he was used to it, and it made him feel better. Today was the day that he was getting married to the woman that he loved. A woman that was brave, strong, beautiful, selfless, and smart. She balanced his hot-headed, intense, reckless, and headstrong personality well. He couldn't imagine marrying anyone else, and he felt in his heart that his parents would have loved Anna almost as much as he does.

But Griffin's happiness was also clouded by his fear of fully bringing Anna into his unpredictable lifestyle. She was his weakness, his only weakness thus far, and the Paladins knew that. He would go to hell and back for her, and vice versa; in fact, both of them had proven that already. But this was different, this was a lifelong commitment to honor, love, and protect each other. By gaining back the love and family he never got the chance to have, Griffin also knew that he had a lot more to lose this time.

Griffin's thoughts were abruptly interrupted when Kida and Naomi announced that it was only a short while until sunset, and everyone needed to be in place for the ceremony. David patted Griffin on the back before he jumped off to go find his sister. Mr. Benson jumped with Griffin to the hallway of the mansion and they walked into the ballroom together.

Several floral fragrances filled Griffin's nostrils as he put on a neutral face when he made his way down the aisle. Flowers were everywhere, decorated across the aisle, hung from ribbons from the lavender canopy on the ceiling, and glued to the satin-draped chairs on both sides of the ballroom. Griffin took his place as they had rehearsed a few days prior, and nodded at Joe. Joe was the minister, since he had gone online and taken a course.

Soon, the all of the U.R., young and slightly older, had taken their seats and quieted down as the lights dimmed slightly, and two of Griffin's rookie trainees opened the thick drapes to reveal the sunset through the giant windows behind the altar. Griffin raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew that with Mrs. Benson, Millie, and Naomi behind the wedding planning that it would be a lot more extravagant than he wanted it to be, but he didn't think it would be like this. He wondered how much Anna had signed off on.

Then, he took another deep breath as the music started, signaling that the ceremony was about to begin.

* * *

><p>Anna was sure that she would start hyperventilating soon if they didn't get this over with. Now she wished she had opted to elope, instead of having to go through with this grand ceremony. It was like everyone's dream wedding sown together, with only a few signature touches of her. After blue, purple was Anna's favorite color, and wanted to incorporate that into the wedding without it being too much. She could only get a glimpse of what the ballroom looked like since she was waiting by herself in an empty office room off to the side of the entrance.<p>

She smiled as Ruby skipped down the aisle happily, followed by Kida and Kyle, Naomi and her new boyfriend, Ian, Millie and Duke, a cousin of the Benson's, and finally, Mrs. Benson and Mr. Benson.

The music swiftly changed from a soft piano melody to Incubus' Dig, one of Griffin's favorites. It was only request as far as wedding planning went. Once Anna had listened to it, it made sense to her why he had chosen that one. It was about redemption, love, and forgiveness, and it was very beautiful. It defined their relationship, the hardships that they had gone through, what they still had to overcome.

David knocked on the door and held his arm out to her. "Ready?" he asked.

"Yes, but don't let me fall. If you do, I will kick your ass in front of all these kids. I don't care if I'm in a wedding dress," Anna said in a playful voice as he pulled her towards the entrance and they stood in front of the aisle.

"Never," David whispered to me as he grasped my hand with his free one tightly.

Anna's strapless, sweetheart neckline subtly showed off her bosom and shoulders, while the embroidered band around her waist gave the illusion of a slight hourglass figure. At the bottom, flowers splayed across the mermaid skirt which flowed out into the short train behind her. Anna couldn't feel more like a bride in it.

Blood flooded to Anna's cheeks as she took in her overwhelming audience, who were staring back at the beautiful, blushing young bride in awe and elation. Anna's mouth fell open a bit as she took in the thoroughly decorated decorum of the ballroom, and was touched and amazed at how much thought and hard work had been put in to make it look so wonderful.

When some of the younger kids giggled at her reaction, she immediately shut it, and held onto her brother as they made their way down the aisle, petals rustling past their feet as they passed. Anna made sure to take her time, but not too much, as the 3-inch heels that she currently wore were already starting to hurt her feet.

Finally, she glanced and made eye contact with Griffin's awed gaze. His face seemed constrained by the huge grin that seemed to grow bigger and bigger as she got closer to him. This had to be the happiest she had ever seen him, and it made her heart soar that she was the only one who could do that to him.

At last, Anna and David reached the altar, and Griffin held out his hand. David placed his beloved little sister's hand in Griffin's and murmured to him, "Take care of her, man," before he sat down in the audience and smiled at Millie.

The vows were quick and simple, and once the rings were placed on each other's hands and the I do's were said, Anna and Griffin were officially husband and wife. As much as Griffin wanted to deepen the kiss with his new bride, he had to keep reminding himself that children were present and there would be time for that later. Anna grimaced at him when he pulled back, but then, she blushed when it also dawned on her that they would be all alone after the ceremony was over…

The happy couple was engulfed in hugs, kisses, and applause as they tried to hurry back down the aisle, hand in hand.

* * *

><p>Kyle and Joe were the DJ's and a nearby catering service was supplying the food. Naomi once interned for a bakery in downtown New York, and had supervised the making and handling of the cake. It was huge, four tiers, and had both chocolate and vanilla insides. Griffin and Anna cut the cake together and wasted no time shoveling it in each other's faces.<p>

Then, it was time for the first dance, which was to Paramore's "The Only Exception". It was Anna's favorite song, and it had started to grow on Griffin. Soon, after, other couples joined them, and the fast music came on. All of the kids and teenagers crowded the dance floor, clearly enjoying themselves.

It made Anna happy to see everyone laughing and living carefree. It was like a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It had cooled down significantly since the sun had gone down, and Griffin noticed his wife shiver slightly from the cool breeze.

He placed his jacket around her bare shoulders, and she kissed him lightly. Then, she asked, "Griffin, I know this probably wasn't what you pictured when you said you wanted to get married, but, are you happy?"

Without hesitation, Griffin answered, "Of course, I'm happy. Whoever said that I wasn't? I will say that this wasn't what I had in mind_, I was thinking more along the lines of Mexico or Vegas_, but every girl wants the fairytale wedding, right? I'm just happy that we could have the chance for you have that, if it makes _you _happy."

Anna smiled at her husband and leaned over to sit in his lap. She kissed him tenderly, not caring at all if anyone was watching them.

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><p><strong>AN: I put a lot of detail and thought into this chapter, probably more than any of the others. I was trying not to make it too sappy, but hey, it's a wedding, they're supposed to be that way. So, what did you think of the wedding? Where do you think their honeymoon should be? <strong>

**Also, would it turn you guys off if I wrote a lemon/smut piece for this? I could just suggest it, and write a one-shot for it later, but I wanna know what my readers think.**

**Please Review!**


	10. Shock & Awe

**An: Sorry it took so long for this chapter. But thanks for the reviews! Oh, and there is a sort-of sex scene, but I didn't go into explicit detail with it. I tried to but it felt awkward for me to write it. Plus, then I would have to change the rating of this to M. **

**Don't worry there's a little warning if you want to skip over it. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 10-<strong>Shock & Awe

Anna was sure she had never been more nervous than she was now. She was excited as well, but more anxious than anything. Tonight, she and Griffin would make love as man and wife.

Since they had an overnight flight on the day of their wedding, Anna and Griffin barely had time to enjoy the beauty and sights of Paris once their plane landed. They hopped into the limo that David had arranged to pick them up and take them to their suite. After they made their way to the room, they both were sound asleep on the huge canopy bed for hours.

Once they awoke in the late afternoon, Anna dragged Griffin to a few of her favorite sights before having dinner at the restaurant in the hotel. Now the sun had set, and by the way Griffin kept eyeing her all day, she knew that she wouldn't get to sleep tonight.

She and Griffin had had sex before, about four months into their relationship, and a few times afterwards. But they had not slept together in almost a year due to Anna's schoolwork and the Paladins. But, tonight was different, since tonight was their wedding night.

So, to delay him and help relieve her nerves, she took her suitcase into the huge bathroom. She had already pre-packed some lingerie and tonight she was wearing a red-and black corset and garter set. She felt very sexy in it and once she teased her hair at the crown, she looked very much the vixen. For an added effect, Anna applied red lipstick.

Now, she just needed to take deep breaths and calm herself down. _In and out_, she repeated, _in and out_. Griffin knocked on the door and asked, "Is everything okay in there, babe?"

"Um, yeah, I'll be out in a minute. Just sit on the bed and relax,"  
>she replied in the calmest tone she could muster.<p>

Her hands suddenly felt clammy and she wiped them on a towel on the rack. "This is it, just go out there and do it. You are married now, after all," she whispered to herself.

Then, she took a deep breath and opened the door. Griffin was surfing through the channels absentmindedly when he heard the sound of Anna clearing her throat. He turned around quickly, and had to do a double-take, because it was hard to believe that the gorgeous woman that had emerged from the bathroom was his wife.

***Warning! Sort-of sex scene below!***

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><p>Anna grinned at his stunned expression, and swayed her hips as she walked over to the bed. She hopped onto it and crawled to where he was perched. She began kissing his jaw, lips, and neck, and Griffin slowly emerged from his trance. He began kissing her back as her hands roamed underneath his t-shirt.<p>

Anna slipped his shirt over his head, and smiled when she nibbled on his earlobe, a sweet spot of his. Griffin's hands went to the back of the corset and desperately tried to untie the strings. Anna rolled her eyes at her impatient husband and removed his hands. Then, she motioned to the zipper on the side. Griffin let out a huff and Anna smirked before she began kissing him again. Griffin pulled the zipper down her side, and removed it from her body.

Anna moaned as his hands roamed and groped parts of her body that she hadn't noticed in a while, and soon, the kisses became more passionate and hungry. Griffin assisted Anna with removing the garter as she helped him out of his sweats.

Once they were naked, they wasted no time reacquainting each other with their bodies, and Griffin swore that Anna made sounds that he had never heard before as their bodies blended together in near -perfect harmonization. Griffin was glad that his wife was enjoying herself, but he hated that she had to be so loud about it.

Once it was over, Griffin collapsed alongside Anna and pulled her close to him so that her head rested on his bare chest. Anna's hair was all over her head, but she didn't care, as she had never felt so happy and fulfilled than she did now.

Griffin stared up at the ceiling, a smile on his face as he traced tiny circles on Anna's back. "I love you, Griffin," Anna whispered as sleep started to overtake her.

Griffin glanced down at her and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too, Anna," he replied before he fell into deep sleep himself.

***End of scene***

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><p>After that, Anna felt them fall into a routine for the remainder of their honeymoon. Wake up, make love, take a morning shower together, go to breakfast, go out sightseeing, have lunch, return to hotel, make love again, stay in and order room service, and make love once more before going to sleep. Then, repeat.<p>

And to Anna's delight, neither of them said or mentioned the word: Paladin. But there wasn't much time for talking anyways.

* * *

><p>A few weeks later, Anna was grateful for the wonderful honeymoon that David had arranged because now she was deep into medical books and notes. She wasn't even taking that many hours, since she still needed to make time for her family and husband, but she was exhausted and overwhelmed.<p>

Luckily, Naomi was in the same boat as her, since she had returned to school as well. To make things easier, they both studied together almost every day, and Kyle, who graduated college two years ago with a degree in engineering, offered to help.

Griffin was proud that Anna was pursuing her dream, but now it meant less time with her since she left early for school and stayed up late studying. However, he soon discovered that sex was a great stress reliever for her, and he stopped complaining.

Besides enjoying his newlywed status, Griffin, David, Mr. Benson, and Joe were tracking a new development of the Paladins. They had shut down their facility in New York, but they were relocating.

_But to where exactly_?

"This isn't good. If the Paladins have decided to relocate, then there's no telling where they could have gone," Mr. Benson said as he looked at the monitor tracking a moving van that the Paladins owned.

"We might have to relocate ourselves if we can't find their new location," Joe suggested as he typed in some codes into the database.

"Is that our only option? To run?" Griffin barked.

"Griffin, we have to think of what's best for everyone. The young ones are doing well, but it's still too early and dangerous to start a full-on war. We need to keep a close eye on things and use what information we have to strategize a plan, as well as a backup plan," Mr. Benson replied.

"Um, Griffin!" Anna called from upstairs.

"Well, let me know what you guys come up with. Maybe they left something at their old place that we can use," Griffin said.

Griffin stepped out into the hallway and jumped into their old bedroom where Anna was waiting for him. She was pacing back and forth, and every so often, ran her fingers through her messy hair.

"What's up, babe?" Griffin greeted as he walked over to give her a kiss.

She kissed him back, but she wasn't fully into it. Something was distracting her; he could tell. "Anna, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Did something happen at your school today?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm okay. It's not that. It's just…um…I…" her voice trailed off.

Griffin searched her eyes for the answer he was looking for, but she wasn't troubled, not really. She looked sort of…happy. It was an expression that only graced her face whenever he or Ruby was around, as she had been so busy lately.

Griffin placed his hands on her face and said, "Anna, just tell me. Please."

Anna sighed, "Actually, I can show you better than I can tell you." Then, she took his hand and led him into the tiny bathroom in the back of the room.

On the sink, there were three sticks. Griffin came closer and examined every one of them. Anna bit her lip anxiously as she watched Griffin closely.

All of the sticks had pink plus signs on them.

Anna announced, "I'm pregnant, Griffin."

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><p><strong>AN: Please Review!<strong>


	11. The Next Step

**AN: Sorry for the wait. I was unsure as to where to go next after the last chapter, but then I got inspired. So, enjoy!**

**Chapter 11-**The Next Step

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><p>Anna let Griffin sit down on the toilet seat as he soaked in the information. His mind was racing. Him…<em>a father?<em> He and Anna hadn't even been married for six months, and they were already starting a family. It was all happening so fast for him. He couldn't stop it. He could only accept it.

"We're having a baby?" He asked her in a small voice.

She nodded, tearing up a little, and placed a hand on her stomach. "Yeah, we are. I know it's so soon, but its happening. We're going to be parents, Griff!" she smiled as she leaned down to hug her husband.

"I guess we are," Griffin mumbled, still numb.

* * *

><p>Anna and Griffin decided to keep the news to themselves for a while, since things were tense at the U.R. since the Paladins had left New York. But Anna was unsure how long they could hide it since her morning sickness had started in high gear.<p>

One day, while Anna rested upstairs, Griffin assembled a small team to check out the old Paladin building. He was hopeful they would find something, and end this war once and for all. The last thing he wanted was for his unborn child to have the same upbringing he did.

"We're ready. Joe, where are we heading?" Kyle asked the computer whiz.

"According to these numbers, their old base should be about here," Joe answered as he pointed out a dot on a computer screen. Joe zoomed in, and gave everyone a clear view of the building.

"Alright, let's go. We're wasting time just standing here," Griffin said.

Kyle, David, Griffin, and a few other jumpers jumped to the site. There was rubble outside of the entrance, and the building looked like it was crumbling down.

Griffin entered through the door that was hanging off of its hinges and motioned for everyone to follow him. Griffin gripped his bat as they walked down the long hallway, the only light coming through a large hole in the ceiling.

Griffin turned a corner and found himself in a room that looked similar to the one he was in a few months back. He winced at the memory, and called out to the younger jumpers, "Don't touch anything. This place could still be wired or bugged. Something could go off at any moment."

The men started to retreat, but then the door shut, and locked them all in. "No!" Griffin yelled and hit the door several times with his bat.

"Someone set us up," David realized.

"But who?" Kyle asked.

One of the jumpers shifted uncomfortably and then he groaned, "It was Adrian. He did it! His father is one of them!" He pointed at his short, stout teammate that was turning red.

"Fine, it was me! I had no choice! He said that he would kill everyone if I didn't tell him. They even took my girlfriend!" the teenager cried out to them as he broke out into tears.

"Do you know what you've done! We're trapped here, and now everyone back at the U.R., including my pregnant wife, is exposed!" Griffin screamed at the boy.

"Wait, Anna's _pregnant_?" David asked in disbelief. Kyle's eyes had widened significantly.

Before Griffin could answer, the door opened and several armed Paladins rounded the corner and shot off tiny darts into the room. All of the jumpers, including Griffin, David, and Kyle, were hit in the neck, and were overcome with slumber.

Linda took off her helmet and checked all of the jumpers for a pulse. She nodded at the other Paladins, and they proceeded to remove the unconscious jumpers from the room. She took out her cell phone from her pocket and pressed a button.

A deep, masculine voice asked, "_Is it done, Agent?"_

"Yes, sir. We can proceed with the next step," she answered.

"_Good. Agent M is on her way now, and I'm sending in a team to take down the U.R. as we speak. Retreat back to base, agent."_

"Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>Griffin felt stiff and sore as he awoke inside an interrogation room. He was handcuffed to a metal chair, and a machine was hooked up to his back, sending sharp, electric shocks into his body. Griffin realized it was to keep him from jumping.<p>

David stirred in the chair next to him, and let out a groan. His forehead bore beads of sweat like Griffin's own, and he took in a sharp breath of air as another electric shock entered his body.

"David? David, wake up!" Griffin called out in a hoarse voice.

David's eyes opened with a jolt as another shockwave ruptured through him, and he glanced around the room. "Where am I? Griffin?" David asked as he slowly awoke.

"I don't know. But we're stuck-Ugh!" Griffin let out a groan as a shockwave went through him as well.

Griffin struggled against the handcuffs, but it only caused him more pain, as they were tight around his wrists and his hand kept hitting the back of the metal chair. They had him.

Trapped.

* * *

><p>Gunshots awoke Anna from her nap, and she sat straight up in the bed of her old room at the U.R. She quickly put on her sweater and opened the door.<p>

She realized that it was a bad idea, as a bullet narrowly missed her head. Instead, it hit the bust of George Washington and shattered into a million pieces.

Anna took the opportunity to tackle the young Paladin to the ground and try to wrestle the gun from him. He was almost the same size as her, but in the tussle, he managed to punch her in the jaw. She rolled off to the side, clutching her face in horror, as the Paladin rose and aimed his gun at her.

Anna heard the gunshot and waited to meet her death. There was a thud, and she opened her right eye.

The Paladin was touching the gunshot wound on his stomach, and fell to the ground, dead. Anna turned to see her savior.

Millie engulfed Anna in a quick hug, and dropped the gun in the process. "You know how to shoot guns?" Anna asked her.

"My dad's from Texas, and he would take me out hunting sometimes," Millie explained hastily.

Naomi took out another Paladin from behind the girls and breathed in relief. "There you are! C'mon, we've got to get out of here! More Paladins are coming, and they bringing Jumpers with them! I know a shortcut we can take to the panic room in the basement."

Millie helped Anna off of the floor and they started to walk towards Naomi until a Jumper wearing a Paladin uniform appeared behind her. The Jumper-Paladin grabbed Naomi by her hair and yanked her backward, suddenly clutching a knife to her throat.

Millie and Anna stopped in their tracks.

* * *

><p>David and Griffin spent nearly twenty minutes trying to get out of the handcuffs, but the machine made it hard for them. Griffin nearly toppled over his chair since he had shaken his chair so hard in frustration.<p>

David stopped and watched Griffin struggle. Then, he winced as he felt another shock. "Griffin, just stop. We're not going to get out of here. They…they finally won. It's over," David said in a defeated voice.

Griffin let out a yell of anger. "NO! I won't give up! I'm not you, David! I'm going to get out of here! I'm going to get back to Anna! I won't let her die! I…can't lose her. If I lose her…then I have _nothing_ left. I can't go back to that again. I WON'T! I'LL DIE FIRST!" Griffin struggled some more, but finally, he let out a sigh of defeat.

David was silent for a while. Then, he said, "I get it, Griffin. I've always had my sister, but you…had no one. This is harder for you more than it is for me. Anna was there before Millie, and she'll always be there. But you…if she dies, then…you won't have anyone left. And you'll be losing her…and the baby. I'm just sorry that I didn't understand before. But I get it now."

Griffin muttered sarcastically, "Thanks for trying to cheer me up, mate. You're a real help. Thanks."

The door opened and both men gasped at the sight of the figure that entered the room. David looked on in shock, as Griffin started to struggle against the handcuffs.

"It's no use. You're only making it worse for yourself, so I suggest that you just give up," Madeline Versace said in a cool calm voice.

But in reality, she was David's mother, Mary Rice.

"You did this, didn't you? What are you doing here?" David asked angrily, his eyes now blazing.

Mary dismissed the guard that was standing near the door and took out a remote. She pressed a red button and the camera in the southwest corner of the room turned off. Then, she took the empty chair at the metal table, opposite the men.

In the several months that David had seen his mother, she had dyed her hair bright red, and now wore hazel contacts. _Probably to go along with her new alias_, he thought to himself.

Griffin had stopped struggling against his restraints and glanced between the two, now noticing the resemblance between mother and son. She also looked very much like Anna. _Could it be? Could she be David and Anna's mother…?_

"I was vacationing with my daughter and new husband in France when I heard one of my inferiors was planning a surprise attack on the U.R. without my knowledge. I tried to stop him, but he had convinced my superior that this was the right moment. I couldn't stop the attack, so I set up a plan of my own. I withdrew the New York forces and shut the base down. I lied and told them that it was a way to save money, and they believed me," Mary let out a light laugh at the end.

Griffin and David exchanged glances, and Griffin spoke up, "What the bloody hell does this have to do with-"

Mary raised her hand to silence him, and continued, "I led you to believe that we had withdrawn from here to peak your interest. I knew that you would come back here. And we would be ready for you. I had them take you out and bring you here, so that I could talk to you alone. Meanwhile, Agent E is heading off the attack at the U.R. headquarters. It has turned into quite the bloodbath, I've heard. You trained your army well. I applaud you."

Mary sent them a forced smile and then her face grew serious. "This war needs to end. I can't take this anymore, this double life. It has put my daughter and husband in danger, and I can't risk that, or the life of my…grandchild."

Griffin's eyes widened. He didn't even know that the Paladins knew of Anna's pregnancy. Now he was worried that she was in more danger than ever now. With her genes and his, she could possibly be carrying a Jumper prodigy. David's mouth was open slightly.

"Oh, yes, we know. We know everything. That is why this needs to end. I've come up with a plan of my own, but it's risky. And I need both of you to cooperate. If everything goes to plan, _this_ will be over."

David searched her eyes for a clue that she was tricking them, but they were sincere. He asked, "Why should we trust you?"

"I recalled my forces. I bailed you out of jail in Rome. I left so that I wouldn't kill you. I told you that I would give you a head start, son, and here we are. But I haven't killed you, and I don't plan to," her voice was still calm, but it cracked at bit every time she said the word _kill._

"Why don't you?" Griffin asked, now that his theories were confirmed.

"Because my…daughter asked me not to. She knows all about what I do and who I am. And when she and my husband were attacked recently, I saw the true nature of this organization. The betrayal, the brutality; it wasn't worth it. And, at the end of the day, David and Anna are still my children. No matter what I've done, or what they think of me now," she replied.

It was quiet for several minutes as David and Griffin thought her offer through. Both were very tired and sore; not to mention, worried about their family and friends back at the U.R.

If they didn't agree, they would be stuck there, until the Paladins finally did kill them; on the other hand, Mary could be setting them up just like Adrian did. It was a gamble, but they really had no choice but to trust her.

David turned to Griffin and nodded in defeat. Griffin sent him a nod back, and said bitterly, "Fine. But, first, you get us out of these bloody chairs and call off the attack at the U.R. Trust me; I'm _not_ in the mood for negotiation."

Mary smiled at the men, and then went out into the hallway. A guard came in and freed them both from the handcuffs, but strapped a device onto their necks. The guard pressed a button, and both men collapsed to the floor.

"What. The. Hell! I thought we had a deal!" Griffin cried out.

"It's just protocol for all of the Jumpers we employ. Sorry," she shrugged as she stepped over Griffin.

* * *

><p>Anna held onto Ruby and Millie as footsteps stomped all over the floors in the mansion above their heads. All of the jumpers that weren't dead or fled to safety were hiding away in the panic room.<p>

It was quite cramped; there were at least 30 or so Jumpers, along with Anna, Millie, Mrs. Benson, Naomi, Mr. Benson, and Kida. Anna was just happy that they had made it out alive and that the mansion had a panic room.

She had to constantly stay calm as she fought the urge to suddenly vomit. She covered her mouth with her hand and Millie glanced in her direction. "Just a little sick is all," Anna whispered.

"I was the one that killed those Paladins. I'm used to killing deer, not…people. I should be the one wanting to throw up," Millie said sadly as she passed Anna a water bottle.

"But you saved me and Naomi, Millie. That's gotta count for something right."

Millie shrugged, and held her legs to her chest. Anna rubbed her stomach, and whispered quietly, "It's okay. We're gonna be okay. I just hope Daddy's okay."

Mr. Benson was in the far corner, staring at the monitors. Cameras were set up in various rooms and hallways, allowing him to keep track of the Paladins movements. Since the panic room was built into a wall and bullet-proof as well as sound-proof, he didn't have to worry about them finding them or the Paladins breaking in. He was the only one that could open it from the outside.

Little Ruby, who was nestled in Anna's lap, asked quietly, "Do you think Kyle and the others are okay?"

Mrs. Benson, Millie, and Anna exchanged sad looks. Anna said, "I don't know, sweetie, but I hope so. I really hope so."

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><p><strong>AN: So, what do you think Mary's plan is? If you read Catch Me When I Fall, then you have a clue as to what it is. What do you think will happen next? And how do you think I did with the Mary character? <strong>

**She's still a Paladin, but I wanted her to be kind of remorseful for the actions that she has committed against her children. Also, it will help us get to the climax, since this story has about 3 or 4 more chapters left. **

**Anyways, please review!**


	12. Exposed

**AN: So sorry that it has taken me so long to update. School and personal life stuff got in the way. This is my most intense chapter, and I'm very proud of it. Oh, and excuse the mistakes as I finished this at 2 AM.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12-<strong>Exposed

The mansion was a wreck by the time all of the remaining U.R. returned to look at the damage. Blood and dead bodies were everywhere, furniture was tossed over or broken, Joe's computer room was ransacked and all of the monitors were smashed to pieces.

Joe was distraught as he tried to salvage the rest of his notes and files, but the computers were damaged beyond repair. The younger jumpers were either at the house next door, which had surprisingly remained untouched, or at the safe house. Little Ruby stayed with her mother at the house next door, while Anna, Mr. Benson, Naomi, Kida, and a few other jumpers surveyed the mess.

Anna was beyond shocked at the sheer carnage. There wasn't one soul left alive, Jumper or Paladin included. However, Anna's main fear was the well-being of her husband and brother. They had been missing for over two days, and no one had heard a word from either of them, as well as the others who went with them.

Kida knelt on the ground and started bawling when she spotted her brother's corpse on the ground, a knife through his forehead. Kida cradled his head in her lap and just sobbed. Anna knelt beside her and patted her friend's back in an effort to soothe her. She knew it was pointless though; Kida's brother was never coming back to her.

Anna started crying as well since she recognized so many of the fallen jumpers around her, and hated that the Paladins ended many of their young lives. She also hated herself since she didn't fight with them, but she had a child growing inside of her. Its life was far more precious to her than her own miserable one.

Soon, everyone reconvened in the underground garage, the only place that had remained untouched. For a while, no one spoke, not wanting to break the heavy silence. Finally, Kida spoke up, "So what happens now? Where do we go? What do we do?"

Mr. Benson and Joe exchanged defeated looks, and Joe crossed his arms and signed. Anna bit her lip anxiously, her stomach in knots. Mr. Benson sighed, "I don't know. I mean, I…they…we…I just don't know."

"We can't run anymore. It's too late for that. I say…we fight back," Naomi spoke up.

Everyone stared at the young aspiring chef in shock.

"_Are you crazy?_ We can't _fight _them! Look around, most of our kind is _dead_. Kyle, Griffin, David, and the others are still missing; I mean, we can't fight them! _It's pure suicide_!" Kida retorted.

Mrs. Benson added, "Well, what do you suppose we do, Kida? We've all suffered losses. Our numbers are dwindling, while they're thriving in our blood. We can't keep running or hiding. It's not an option anymore."

"We were betrayed," Anna blurted out. Heads turned in her direction.

"What?"

"We were betrayed," Anna spoke a little louder. "This has been our home for almost a year, and you've been here way longer than that. Someone outed us to the Paladins. They had to, because we covered and recovered our tracks time and time again. And Naomi's right. Enough is enough. Too many people keep dying because we are afraid to lose a war that we are already losing. If there's one thing that Griffin taught me, it's that running only gets you so far before you have to stand up and fight to survive. Look, we may not know if they're alive or dead, but they would want us to fight back. To fight for our lives, just like they did."

It took a few minutes for Anna's words to sink in, but everyone was on her side and Naomi's. The older kids had been thoroughly trained by Griffin, David, and Kyle themselves and proved that they could handle themselves. Anna was sure to stay out of the fight, but would try to find another way to help.

Joe slowly raised his hand, and said, "I guess I could use the panic room's operating system to hack into a network and pull up what I can on the Paladins' headquarters. Find out what their next move is."

Mr. Benson patted Joe on the back and Joe escorted a few other Jumpers to go with him. Anna found a clean spot on the stairs and sat down, wanting nothing more than to rest and forget about everything that happened. But her mind wouldn't let her. Plus, her husband, brother, and the others were still missing. She desperately prayed for a miracle; something, _anything _to let her know that they were still alive. That her child would get to meet their father.

It seemed as if Anna's silent prayer was answered because Joe flew out of the computer room and yelled over the balcony, "Everyone, go to the other house and turn on the TV. Make sure to turn to CNN. _There's something you need to see_. _Hurry!_"

Everyone exchanged curious glances and hastily headed for the house next door.

* * *

><p>"Ready for this?" David whispered to Griffin.<p>

"Only if your mum pulls this off," Griffin retorted.

The two men were sitting among the press for a very important announcement from the Assistant Secretary of State. Journalists, cameramen, and reporters from all the major networks, newspapers, and websites were there to document the event.

David wore glasses, a black, clean suit, and a badge with a fake alias on it for the _Alabama Sun Times._ Griffin had his hair slicked back, a brown suit, a tape recorder, and a watch set for the time when Mary's plan was to take place.

"Okay, show time," Griffin murmured as his watch went off just as everyone stood up as the Assistant Secretary of State entered and took his place at the podium.

Once everyone sat down and he started to speak, a short, chubby figure caught Griffin's eye. It was Adrian, the young Jumper who set them up from the start. Griffin wanted nothing more than to take care of the little rat himself, but it would put the whole plan in jeopardy. And, a small piece of Griffin felt sorry for the kid as he was about to unleash a big can of worms and cause his own doom.

David noticed what caught Griffin's attention, and whispered, "I know what you're thinking, but don't forget why we're here."

Griffin snorted. _How could he forget with this shock collar hidden underneath the fabric of his shirt? Or Anna's life? Or his child's?_

Griffin turned his attention back to the podium and there was a sudden uproar over the announcement of delaying the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Amidst the chaos, young Adrian slipped through the crowd easily. Griffin had his eyes trained on him, but made sure to look elsewhere to avoid suspicion for the sake of the cameras.

Griffin looked down at his watch and sent David a quick look. Everything was going according to plan. Adrian crept closer, his business suit, slicked backed hair, and glasses providing the ultimate disguise. Griffin noted when Adrian reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his tube, only it was much smaller than normal.

And then, the can was opened.

In a matter of seconds, Adrian's tube shot out an electric wire that aimed straight for the Secretary, but David jumped him away just as the podium exploded. Everyone scattered around the room, and security and Secret Service men flooded the room instantly.

Griffin ran through the crowd to try to find David, and for a brief moment, locked eyes with Mary. She sent him a small smile before she disappeared into the crowd. Griffin turned his attention back to finding David, who was handing the Assistant Secretary over to the Secret Service.

David noticed that Adrian was escaping, led by the man Mary had identified as the agent who took over from Roland and Roger. _Eugene Barnes._ "They're escaping!" David yelled over the crowd to Griffin.

Griffin, David, and a few Secret Service men ran after them, but Griffin took the opportunity to jump only for Eugene to whip out a tube and cause Griffin to hit the ground in pain. Griffin groaned as the electricity coursed through his body painfully.

Some people were stopping to see what was going on, but most of the crowd around them kept bustling along. Eugene held Adrian's shirt collar with his other hand and kept his tube gripped tight in the other.

Griffin got a good look at the man who had made his life miserable over the past year. The man who killed Cole, who called for the attack on the U.R. and probably took away everything he held dear.

Eugene had a terrible Donald Trump comb over, ugly crooked teeth, a wide chin, angular face, green eyes, and bushy eyebrows. His eyes held disappointment, but considered capturing Griffin as a consolation prize.

Eugene smiled his ugly, sinister smile and placed his boot over Griffin's neck. Still smiling, he said, "Griffin O'Connor. Wow. We finally meet in the flesh. I hate that it has to be like this, but now I finally get to crush you. And with my own foot. You made my life interesting to say the least, but you were such a little prick."

Griffin could feel the pressure on his throat that was making it difficult to breathe, but before Eugene could severe his neck completely, David jump-tackled him to the ground.

Adrian took the opportunity to escape but security caught him and placed handcuffs on him. David stood up as the Secret Service scooped Eugene off of the ground and handcuffed him as well.

David cut the cord and helped Griffin to his feet. "Yeah, well, who's the prick now?" Griffin shot back.

"Not your best comeback…brother," David smiled.

Griffin caught his breath, "Yeah, I know. But he was a twat, wasn't he, brother?"

The two shook their heads at each other and laughed.

* * *

><p>Anna couldn't believe what had occurred on the television in front of her own eyes. On every news channel or cable network, they were constantly reporting of the "terrorist attack" that happened during a press conference with the Assistant Secretary of State.<p>

The press conference was to discuss the troops still in Afghanistan and other international issues, but the podium exploded five minutes after it started. Two men were identified to be the culprits: Adrian Whitfield, who Anna recognized as one of the Jumpers who disappeared with Griffin, David, and Kyle, and Eugene Starkey, a former schoolteacher and leader of the secret organization that had terrorized Anna and her family for years, the Paladins. The Paladins were now stated to be a secret terrorist group, and the President was issuing raids on their secret U.S. facilities after an anonymous source (Joe) sent the government top-level information.

Over the next two days, Anna watched with tearful joy as men, women, teenagers, and young children were released from their captivity and reunited with family members. The government also released a list of names of all of the people who had been killed by the Paladins; via a list they kept on their database to keep track of the Jumpers.

Paladins across the country were being prosecuted or arrested. In a small town in Alabama, however, a Paladin's body was found hanging from a tree with the words: "REAP WHAT YOU SOW" written on his uniform.

One thing Anna was grateful for was that the media never mentioned the word Jumper. It was odd for them to not mention it, and there was speculation among the internet that the Paladins tested on these humans to allow for them to enter countries and continents without suspicion.

Anna also noticed that her mother never came up among those arrested or in the process of being prosecuted. To Anna's guess, she probably ran, a personality trait she was known for.

Despite the Paladins and their evil ways being exposed to the government, Anna's heart was still heavy. She had no idea if her husband or brother was alive or dead. They hadn't been listed on the deceased list, but they weren't among those rescued in New York. Everyone had seen Kyle and the others, but no Griffin or David.

Even though she was free now, it still worried her to no end.

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><p>Anna could barely keep her concentration in classes, and today was note-taking day in most of them. She was also dealing with morning sickness, which decided to come into play at the worst times.<p>

After her last class, she wanted nothing more than to go home and cry-sleep. That is, until she saw him waiting for her on the sidewalk.

Griffin looked well-rested but he now had some stubble and a light bruise on his neck that was starting to fade. His blue eyes lit up when he spotted her staring with her mouth open in shock. Griffin laughed and held his arms open.

Anna dropped her book bag and books and ran as fast as she could into his arms.

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><p><strong>AN: Please Review! It's not over yet!<strong>


	13. Aftermath

**AN: I can't believe it's been almost a year since I updated. I'm sorry about that. It's just so much has happened that I had to put something on the backburner, and then I just couldn't figure out where to go from the last chapter. But I do want to finish this soon, so there are about 2 more chapters left. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13-<strong>Aftermath

_2 months later…_

Griffin stared at the monitor that was capturing Anna's heartbeat and the baby's. It was a close call, but she and the baby were ok.

Griffin didn't let go of her hand since they had released her from the doctors and David and Millie, who were newly engaged, stood right beside him. He really didn't want anyone else in the room besides them.

_His family._

It was getting harder to grasp as Anna's due date drew nearer, but also more concrete. Especially now that this had happened.

Griffin's focus was on Anna's peaceful face as Sophie, David and Anna's half-sister, barged in followed by a plump, short man in a suit, whom he guessed was her father by the resemblance.

"Oh my god, is she okay? I rushed down here as soon as I could when I heard what happened. Is she gonna be alright? Is the baby ok?" Sophie asked frantically.

David gave Griffin's shoulder a squeeze as he walked over to Sophie. He explained, "She and the baby are gonna be fine. They were poisoned, Soph, but the doctors managed to give them an antidote before it turned fatal. Do you have any idea as to who could've done this?"

Sophie shook her head and her eyes flew to her sister. Anna, David, and Sophie had begun to mend the distance between them since their mother fled the country and were slowly building a relationship with one another. It was awkward at first, since both Anna and David were slightly jealous of Sophie's kind and rich father and the lavish lifestyle in which she was born into, but had come to accept her into their lives. Sophie was slowly trying to break away from their mother's influence and make her own decisions in return.

She shook her head. "No, but my dad…I think he still knows some of mom's old contacts. He's having someone look into it." Then, Sophie hugged David and Millie smiled, having been the one pushing Anna and David to bond with their sister from the get-go.

Sophie's father, Matthew, said, "I'm having my old friend, Landon, look into it. He's a private investigator and worked with Mary a long time ago. I'm sure he can come up with something. Until then, I would like to ask that all of you come stay at my estate."

Griffin shook his head. "Thank you, but we can take care of ourselves. _I _can keep my family safe."

"No one is doubting your abilities, Mr. O'Connor. I was just offering my help."

Millie spoke up," I think you should say yes, Griffin. Whoever did this would be expecting you to go back home right after this, and they may be already watching your house and us. It would be best if we avoided going home for a while. Maybe a month or two at the most."

Griffin sighed and glanced at Anna before he turned to David. David said, "C'mon, Griff. We need to do this, for everyone safety. Think about the baby."

Griffin didn't say anything, but he nodded his head in agreement before taking Anna's hand and giving it a light squeeze.

* * *

><p>What was supposed to be two months ended up being six once Sophie and her father managed to uncover some information about a few rogue Paladins that were sticking around New York. To no one's surprise, David and Griffin still had bounties on their heads, and Anna was used as a warning to get to them.<p>

Anna recovered from her attack a few days after they settled in Miami, and enjoyed the change of scenery. Sophie's father had sprung for a huge beachhouse with a dock and boat, so they could get out if need be, but the community he chose was gated, and had top-notch security. Anna began to feel much safer with the cops constantly driving around, and began to relax, which helped Griffin relax. She even got to finally enjoy being married and being pregnant for a few months. But since her due date was coming up soon, she was getting uncomfortabled and irritable, especially since she was ordered on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

* * *

><p>Three weeks before her due date, Anna flipped through channels absentmindedly. Everyone else was out at the moment,except for Sophie, trying to find out if it was safe to return to New York. Anna was frustrated as she was so big, and she had to go on sabbatical while they were stuck in Miami. She just didn't know what to do with herself , so she settle on a Modern Family rerun while she went over some more baby names.<p>

She and Griffin still hadn't decided on what to name their baby girl, as Anna wanted to name her after her fraternal grandmother, Ruth, and Griffin wanted to name her after his mother, Susan. They had yet to find a compromise.

Anna continued flipping through the baby book, as Sophie said, "What's funny is that that was you and me not too long ago."

Anna's head popped up and she glanced toward the flatscreen. It was the episode when a pregnant Gloria and a frustrated Claire went grocery shopping and Gloria's pregnancy brain was in high gear. The girls chuckled when Gloria almost got out of a moving car.

"C'mon, I was not the bad," Anna protested.

Sophie shook her head with a smile. "No, I disagree. If I recall…"

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><p>"<em>Thank you for taking me to the store, Sophie. I really appreciate it. And…I appreciate everything that you and your dad have done for us. I mean it, we're grateful. Griffin just likes to do things on his own; it's how he grew up."<em>

_Sophie waved her hand. "No problem. You are my sister…my family. I'm just…happy that I could help in some way. Ever since I found out about you and David, I hated mom for keeping all these secrets from me…keeping the both of you away from me. I always wanted to have a sister around, since mom and dad were gone so much. To me, it wasn't worth it, being in a big house by myself. It felt…empty. And lonely."_

_Sophie bit her lip and stared out onto the highway with a sad expression. Anna could see the pain, the one she herself had felt when she was younger. The pain of feeling abandoned by their mother. It shocked her that Sophie had felt it too, and she was the one that grew up with Mary. So, they weren't very different after all._

"_Well, I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere," Anna smiled._

"_You know that sounded so cheesy," Sophie smirked._

"_I know."_

_Sophie glanced in Anna's direction again before her eyebrows squished together. "Are you sure you feel fit to go out?"_

"_Yes! How many times do I have to say that? If I have to watch another rerun of Jerry Springer…"_

"_I'm just asking because you left your phone…and your purse…and your pants."_

"_Oh."_

"_And there's a roll of corn in your hair instead of a roller."_

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><p>"Okay…maybe I was that bad. But the baby's almost here, and I reclaim my body again."<p>

Anna's eyes suddenly lit up and her hands flew to her stomach. "What is it?" Sophie asked.

"She's up. I can feel her moving," Anna grinned.

Anna didn't ask, but her hands grabbed Sophie's and planced them on the area where she felt the movement the most. Sophie's mouth stretched into a grin as she felt her niece adjust herself. Then it stopped and Anna's hands relaxed.

"I guess she's found her spot for now. Why can't you do that before I go to bed? Little bugger practically keeps me up all night," Anna whined, but there was still love in her voice.

"Oh, I have something for you," Sophie spoke up. Then she pulled out a package and handed it to Anna. Anna opened it and a book fell into her lap.

"_The Hunger Games_? What is this?"

"It's a really good book, trust me. It's about a badass girl who volunteers in her little sister's place to compete in a death match for kids. That's the simplest way I could describe it, but there's a lot more going on than that."

"Since it feels like I've been in a death match the past few years, I can probably relate. Thanks, Soph."

"Aww, you called me Soph."

"I was just trying it out. Do you like it?"

"No." Sophie patted Anna's leg and departed upstairs.

Anna opened the book and started reading. A few hours later, David, Griffin, and Millie came back from the private investigator's office, and Anna was addicted. The only time she had stopped reading was to use the bathroom, and the couch was covered in various wrappers and empty chip bags.

"I see you have had a productive day," Griffin said as he placed a kiss on Anna's forehead. Then, he rubbed her tummy lovingly.

Anna looked up and smiled. Then, she blushed at the mess she had created. "You could say that."

Millie shook her head and began picking up the wrappers while David plopped down on the couch. Anna put her feet in his lap, and said, "I think I found a baby name. I think it's the perfect compromise we need."

Griffin leaned closer to her. "I'm all ears."

"I think we should name her Rue."

Before anyone could respond, Anna gasped as she felt the fabric of her dress and the cushion underneath her become soaked.

"Are you okay? What's wrong, love?" Griffin asked his hand squeezing her shoulder tight.

"I think my water broke."

Someone dropped some dishes onto the tile floor in the kitchen with a resounding shatter.

Griffin mumbled, "Holy shit."

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry about the cliffie! But thanks so much to all of the readers who have reviewed and favorite this story, and still have asked me to finish this. I plan to. And I'm writing a new story, <strong>_**A Bullet for an Eye,**_** so go to my profile and check that out. It's based off of the movie Wanted, if you're interested. **

**Please Review!**


	14. Arrival

**AN: Sorry about the short chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something since it's been a while…**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14-<strong>Arrival

David immediately went to call Anna's doctor again as Anna hollered in pain as another contraction ripped through her body.

Soon, Anna was sitting in between Griffin's legs in the enormous bathtub that occupied the guest bathroom. Griffin stroked her back and shoulders as she tried to keep her breathing steady.

"I can say that…I ABSOBLOUTELY HATE YOU RIGHT NOW GRIFFIN O'CONNOR! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Anna screamed at the top of her lungs.

Anna panted as the pain of the contraction began to subside a bit and Griffin patted her head with a towel. Millie was surfing the web on how to give a water birth, in case the doctor didn't make it in time. Sophie was perched by Anna's spread legs, keeping track of the contractions.

"So far the contractions are 30 minutes apart," she said.

"How many centimeters?" Anna panted.

"Two," Sophie answered.

"Okay, well, on this website, it says that we have to keep her calm and wait out the contractions. The body is doing what it needs to do to push the baby out. We just have to make sure the baby comes out head first and that no complications arise. If need be, we have to rush her to the E.R.," Millie explained.

"It's okay, Anna. I'm here. We got you," Griffin assured her as he kissed her forehead and she squeezed his hand.

"I'm just worried about…"

"I know. But everything's gonna be okay." Sophie agreed.

David rushed in, still on the phone with the doctor. He put the phone on his chest and said, "Okay, bad news: Dr. Longmire is out of state dealing with a family emergency, so he won't be here for the birth."

"WHAT!?" Anna yelled.

"So what do we do? She's in pain and the baby's gonna be here soon!" Griffin said angrily.

David kneeled down beside them and explained, "I know, I know, but he said he can coach us through it over the phone. Afterwards, we take Anna and the baby to the hospital to get looked over."

Anna screamed again, and David repeated it to the doctor. Griffin winced as Anna clenched his hand hard. A few minutes later, Anna calmed back down and took a deep breath.

"What do we do?" Sophie asked.

David told her, "We wait."

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><p>A few hours later, it was time for Anna to push. David and Sophie were at Anna's opening; David guiding her through via the doctor's instructions and Sophie trying to keep her grip and not vomit. It was a lot more gruesome than she expected but she knew that she had to do this for her sister.<p>

Anna glanced up at Griffin when she was about to give her final push, and he kissed her nose and whispered, "You're almost there. You can do it, love."

"Okay," Anna panted and then she pushed with all of her might.

A few minutes later, a loud wail filled the bathroom, signaling the baby's entrance into the world. Sophie held the baby in her hands carefully and announced, "It's a girl!"

Griffin grinned and kissed his wife's forehead. Anna started crying uncontrollably, and Millie went to get some towels. Griffin leaned over to cut the umbellical cord and Sophie and Millie took to cleaning the baby. David listened to the doctor's instructions on the phone before he hung up.

With a bewildered expression, he said, "Well, the doc said congratulations and that we need to take the two of them to the hospital ASAP. Just as a precaution and so the baby can get her shots."

Anna wiped her face and said, "Not yet…I wanna hold her first."

Millie wrapped the infant in the towels and carefully handed the little girl to her mother. Griffin looked down in amazement and wonder at his newborn daughter. He was a father, an actual dad. And it terrified him. He never wanted anything to happen to his child, and he would protect her with his life.

Anna just gently rocked the baby and whispered, "I love you so much," over and over again to her. Then, Sophie asked, "What's her name?"

"Rue," Griffin answered without missing a beat. Anna turned to look at him.

"Are you sure?" He nodded.

"Yes, she's our little Rue. She's perfect," he whispered to her as he began playing with Rue's tiny fingers.

"Yes, she is. I love you," Anna said, still teary eyed.

"I love you too," Griffin said as he pecked her on the lips.

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><p><strong>AN: Next chapter will be the last! Please Review!<strong>


	15. Hiatus

**Hello, fellow readers**

**I hate to say this but I am going on a writing hiatus. That means that I am not writing for ANY of my stories right now. I have received some terrible news, and have to figure out what the next chapter of my life is. I don't know how long that will take, so this story is postponed until further notice. Luckily, I have an outline ready for when I return, but I just can't do that right now. I love writing and sharing my works will all of you, who have been wonderful, but I need to clear my head and get myself together before I can write again. Thank you for understanding. **

**Jaa162**


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